Louisville basketball turns up the heat on local recruits

As early signing day approaches, Louisville basketball is turning its attention to recruiting some local studs.

Louisville basketball is one of only two ACC programs without a commit in the class of 2020.

Don’t let that fool you, however. Given the depth and talent Louisville’s coaching staff has at its disposal for the next two years, they can afford to be a bit more selective than in other years.

Still, some fans are worried that the Cards will have to settle for recruits that weren’t initially on their radar.

Allow us to ease your mind a bit. Consider that Louisville is still right in the mix of things with a number of elite prospects that would be instant-impact players.

Jaemyn Brakefield is a player that has a long-standing relationship with the coaching staff and takes his official visit on Louisville Live! weekend before taking officials to Michigan and Ole Miss in October.

Elite guard Deivon Smith was blown away by his official visit and looks to be Louisville’s to lose at this point in his recruitment.

2021 guard Devin Askew loves the Cards as well, and though he denied it recently, some still feel there’s a chance he could reclassify and become one of the top guards in the 2020 class.

Louisville will have four or five spots open in this class, and the Cards’ top priorities are finding a point guard and an instant-impact big man in a class that is seriously lacking high-level bigs.

The coaching staff is beginning to realize that they could address those needs bill filling those spots with guys who have ties to the area.

The most talked-about recruit in this class is former Louisville Trinity standout and current No. 1 overall JUCO player in the country, Jay Scrubb. The rising college sophomore has seen his name landing on NBA draft big boards, and it looks like he will either land at Louisville or in the NBA.

Now, the coaching staff is turning their attention towards JJ Traynor, the top player in the state of Kentucky, who is an elite power forward from Bardstown.

In a class with a handful of bigs that nearly every big-name program is in on, landing Traynor would be a crucial snag for the Louisville staff. He would also serve as a good back-up option should the Cards not be able to haul in Brakefield.

Louisville has also turned its attention to a center with local ties.

Rising four-star center Gethro Muscadin is a Wichita native so, unsurprisingly, he holds an offer from Kansas. But he now plays for Aspire Academy in Louisville and has begun receiving a lot of interest from the Louisville staff.

https://twitter.com/gethromuscadin/status/1177035898057367553?s=21

Muscadin would be a bit more of a project for the Cards, but he appears to have tremendous upside. Given his 6’10” frame, he does a really good job of putting the ball on the floor, spot-up shooting, and showing he’s more of a modern big.

The coaching staff can certainly work with that, but it appears they will have to beat out Kansas and Memphis for his services.

Only time will tell how this Louisville recruiting class pans out, but it’s certainly not time to worry yet.

With a little patience, this could wind up being a solid class with a bit of local flavor.